Clothing-container.



A. D. RAY.

CLOTHING CONTAINER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.2I, 1914.

Patented June 27, 1916.

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BY CW1 LMJ U4 MQL is ATTORNEY WITNESS 802177fl zw i a ALBERT D. BAY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CLOTHING-CONTAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1916.

Application filed December 21, 1914. Serial No. 878,238.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT D. RAY, a citizen of the United States residing at Cleveland, in the county of duyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clothing-Containers, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to clothing containers, i. e. wardrobes, wardrobe trunks, and the like, and its object is to provide such a container provided. with a clothes-sustaining member whereby the clothing, without disarranging the same, may be easily moved into and out of the container, and from which a portion of the clothing may be readily removed without disturbing the rest; and, further, to provide means for holding the clothing against movement in the container; and further, to provide means for holding the drawers of such a container in closed position. This, and any other objects appearing hereinafter, are attained by, and the invention finds preferable embodiment in, the organization hereinafter described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an interior view in perspective of an open wardrobe trunk; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same on a plane corresponding with line 2-2 of Fig. 1, but showing moving parts in another position; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary interior view of the upper part of one side of the trunk illustrating the clothes-sustaining structure, etc., the same being sectioned on a plane corresponding with line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary inner side View of parts of such sustaining structure; Fig. 5 is a view of parts of the clothes-holding structure; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the opposite side of the trunk, with parts broken away; and Fig. 7 is a detail view showing a latch for securing in operative position the means for holding the drawers closed.

The embodiment of my invention selected for illustration and detailed description, is that clothing container commonly called a wardrobe trunk, to which the invention is particularly well adapted.

This trunk comprises two parts or sides 1 and 2 suitably hinged together at 3. The right hand side 1 constitutes a clothes container, and is provided with a clothes-sustaining structure adapted to swing in a vertical plane and comprising a horizontal member 4 and supporting links 5 therefor pivoted thereto at 6, and at 7 to the lateral walls 8 of the container inside; such structure also comprises a suitable number of clothes hangers 9 (one being shown), on which the clothing 10 is adapted to be hung 1n the ordinary way. The horizontal member has a longitudinally disposed track comprising the parallel upwardly-extending flanges 11, on which the clothes hangers are supported and slidingly guided, as by their gulded portions 12, toward and from the open front of the container.

It W1ll be seen that when this clothes-sustaming structure is swung outwardly, until arrested by a suitable stop 13, the clothes hanger with the clothing hung thereon is carried out of the container, as shown in Fig. 2; but when such structure is swung inwardly, toward the rear wall 14 of the contamer, the hanger and clothing are carried into the container, as shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the clothes hangers may be slid along the horizontal member 4 toward and from the rear wall 14, and may be disengaged and removed from said member by lifting them upwardly, or by sliding them outwardly and tilting them slightly so as to pass between the Lip-turned end portion 15 of the flanges 11 and a transverse flange 16 of the horizontal member 4, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

I provide a retaining member adapted to engage the clothes-sustaining structure and hold it against movement, comprising a spring 17 carried by the container above the said structure and its clothes hangers and adapted to be pressed into operative engagement with such hangers by suitable means, as by turning the cam shaft 18 to the position shown in Fig. 3, whereby such structure and the clothes hangers thereon are held against movement. To more securely retain the clothing in place and prevent their disorder during the handling and shipping of the trunk, I provide also a clothesholding structure comprising a swinging arm 19 pivoted at 20 to the lateral walls of the container inside, and means for releasably retaining such arm in its operative or clothes-holding position: As shown, this swinging arm has a pair of members 21, spring-pressed in their interrelative direction (2'. e. away from each other in the construction illustrated), by the resilience of the material of which said arm and its members are composed: the releasably retaining means for the swinging arm comprises two sets of ratchet teeth 22 carried by the lateral walls respectively of the container or frame 1 inside, one such set being indicated in dotted lines. The members 21 by their resilience are springpressed into engagement with the sets of teeth respectively, and are released therefrom by pressing together by hand their handle portions 23, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5. In the construction shown, these handle portions are formed by bending outwardly the ends of the members 21. The swinging arm 19 is yieldingly retained in its holding position on the clothes by a spring 24 pressing a cam 25 on the shaft portion 26 of such arm. The swinging arm carries a plate or follower pressed against the clothing in the clothes holding position. of said arm. The opposite part or side 2 of the trunk constitutes a case for drawers 27. To hold the drawers closed, I provide a swinging bail 28 pivoted to the case at 29 and 30 above and below the drawers and adapted to be swung into engaging position with the front of the drawers (as shown in Fig. 1), to hold them from opening; and into another position (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6) whereupon the drawers may be opened. The bail is retained in operative position by a suitable latch 31, which has also a lock 32 as particularly shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Not confining myself to detailsof construction shown or described, I claim 1. In an organization of the character described; a clothes container; and a clothesholding structure comprising a swinging arm pivoted to the container, a follower car ried by said arm, and ratchet teeth carried by the container and adapted to releasably retain said arm in its clothes-holding position.

2. In an organization of the character described; a frame; and a holding structure comprising a swinging arm pivoted to the frame and having a pair of members spring pressed 1n their inter-relative direction, and two sets of ratchet teeth carried by the frame and adapted to engage the members respectively under their spring pressure and to releasably retain the same in the arms holding position.

3. In an organization of the character described; a clothes container; and a clothesholding structure comprising a swinging arm pivoted to the container and having a cam,a-nd a spring engaging the cam and adapted to press the arm in its clothes-holding position.

4. In an organization of the character described; a frame; and a holding structure comprising a swinging arm of spring mate rial pivoted to the frame and having a pair of members pressed by the spring character of said material in their interrelative direction; and two sets of ratchet teeth carried by the frame and adapted to engage the members respectively under their spring pressure and to releasably retain the same in the arms holding position, the teeth of one set projecting oppositely to those of the other set.

5. In an organization of the character described; a frame; and a holding structure comprising a. swinging arm of spring mate rial pivoted tothe frame and having a pair of members pressed by the spring character of said material in their interrelative direction; and two sets of ratchet teeth carried by theframe and adapted to engage the members respectively under their spring pressure and to releasably retain the same in the arms holding position; the members having handle portions respectively which are adapted to be grasped by the hand and oppositely moved interrelatively thereby to release the members from the ratchet teeth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of the subscribing witnesses.

V ALBERT D. RAY. \Vitnesses:

CYRUS WV. RICE, MAnIoNA. THOMPSON, E. V. SUTHERLAND.

Copies of this patent msy be obtained tor five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of ls telts,

Washington, D. c." r 

